Interview with Donato Coco, Director of Design, Lotus Cars

Donato Coco’s obsession with automotive design began while he was in his school years, copying out sketches of the cars that he found most inspiring. His career really took off when Citroen spotted the young designer’s talents through a competition and sponsored him through the Royal College of Art where he received a Masters in Automotive Design.

Prior to working at Lotus, Donato Coco rose to become Chief Designer at Citroen, heading up the design teams that produced the Xsara, C3 and Picasso amongst others. More recently he worked on the Ferrari F458, F430 and California as Ferrari’s Director of Design and Development. His role at Lotus has perhaps been his most challenging yet, tasked with producing six new concepts in ten months as part of the company’s efforts to demonstrate its new focus on innovation and bolster its drive to up production of its light-weight sports cars.